Wash Post and the NYTImes feature Google X, Wifi Lights and the Internet of Things

Last Updated June 7, 2018

Kicked off this week by a feature story in the NYTimes on Google’s X lab (a secret internal division working on a long list of speculative projects) where one of the mentioned programs is that ol’ feisty Internet enabled fridge that we have all grown to love. The article also alludes to Google’s Project Tungsten and [email protected] initiatives announced back in May that bring connectivity to objects in your home (starting with lightbulbs) and then connecting those to your devices through Android.

“Other ideas involve what Google referred to as the “Web of things” at its software developers conference in May — a way of connecting objects to the Internet. Every time anyone uses the Web, it benefits Google, the company argued, so it could be good for Google if home accessories and wearable objects, not just computers, were connected.

Among the items that could be connected: a garden planter (so it could be watered from afar); a coffee pot (so it could be set to brew remotely); or a light bulb (so it could be turned off remotely).” – Full Article

WashPost article followed the Times suit with an article on Google X focused more on the Wi-Fi bulbs:

“More than just a catchy and vague description, the Internet of Things is the kind of “Jetsons”-esque future that we’ve been dreaming of since the dawn of the technological age: pantries that keep their own inventories, light bulbs that alert you when they’re nearing the end of their life and homes that know what’s in their own junk drawers.“

“I used to tell jokes about Internet-enabled light bulbs,” Cerf said. “I can’t tell jokes about it anymore — there already is an Internet-connected light bulb.”